Gibson blames foul trouble on 'bad calls'

Bulls forward has 10 more fouls than rebounds in Nets series

May 03, 2013|By K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune reporter

Taj Gibson has 10 more fouls than rebounds through six games of the Bulls' first-round playoff series with the Nets and has fouled out twice.

"It's just rough," Gibson said. "We watch the film. We look at the fouls and the refs are always apologizing, but you can't apologize for making bad calls. We have to keep playing through it, keep playing with the same energy, and hopefully they'll change their opinions."

A replay shown on the United Center scoreboard of Gibson's attempted block of Gerald Wallace's dunk late in the third quarter drew visible reactions from the Bulls bench. Gibson has 23 fouls in just under 95 minutes.

At least his illness improved Friday. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Nate Robinson also was "feeling a little better" after the guard vomited during his 42-minute stint Thursday.

"I'm getting my strength back little by little," Gibson said. "I had the flu, was throwing up. It's still rough, but I have to get some shots up, do something. I couldn't move (Thursday) without feeling weak."

Point, counterpoint: With Kirk Hinrich again doubtful because of his bruised left calf, Thibodeau could use Marco Belinelli as the primary ballhandler in stretches.

"He's a good pick-and-roll player, and I like having multiple guys out there that can run pick-and-roll," Thibodeau said. "That was one of the things that made Kirk and Nate so effective together. Now we're just doing it with Nate and Marco."

Belinelli sank three game-winning shots during the regular season and vowed to keep shooting with the game on the line if needed, despite missing a decent look at a tying 3-pointer late in Game 6.

"Marco gets a clean look at a 3, I'm good with it," Thibodeau said.

Nazr knowledge:Nazr Mohammed has logged 14 seasons in the NBA and laughed when asked if he had seen anything like the spate of injury and illness limiting the Bulls.

"I don't find anything unusual after you've been in this league as long as I have," Mohammed said. "It's unfortunate, but teams are probably happy that they're not facing us at full strength. I wouldn't feel sorry if any of those (Nets) guys were sick."

Layups: The Bulls held a team meeting and watched film before flying to New York on Friday afternoon. … In 12 previous instances, the Bulls never have blown a 3-1 lead in a playoff series.